The asphalt of Villanueva de los Infantes knows no summer truce when the torches begin to blaze. This Saturday, the XXIV Carrera Popular de las Antorchas is more than just another stop on the Ciudad Real Circuit; it is the stage where Andy Morales and Queralt Criado aim to shatter the laws of logic in Campo de Montiel for the third consecutive year. After pulverizing the clock in 2025 with times of 30:50 and 35:17 respectively, both athletes arrive with their sights set on a new frontier that once seemed unreachable for such a demanding urban circuit.
It will be no victory lap. The 10K course, designed as two 5-kilometer loops, is a true leg-breaker that snakes through the historic center. Here, maintaining a high cruising speed comes at a heavy price if you don't manage the tight turns and subtle undulations correctly; even if the official profile looks flat, every change of direction punishes the quads. The key will be the halfway point: anyone who doesn't cross the Plaza de San Juan with fresh legs for the second lap will risk a monumental bonking under the residual August heat.
The weather will play its own part. Temperatures are expected to hover around 25 degrees at the 9:00 PM start, forcing runners not to skip a single aid station. At the sharp end of the field, the 10,000m specialists know that drafting on the longer straights will be vital to save watts before the final assault on the finish line. The atmosphere, fueled by Carlos Speaker and the glow of the torches, will push the age-groupers, but the elite know the record only falls if you run with your teeth gritted from the very first kilometer.
While the youngsters warm up their engines in Friday's Carreras Mini, Saturday's focus will be on whether Morales can shave those extra seconds off his own record or if a dark horse from the provincial circuit can keep pace with the defending champions. The strategy is clear: go out all guns blazing, negotiate the corners with surgical precision, and leave it all on the road before the last torch flickers out.